It was so terribly ironic, Michael Halonen said Friday afternoon, just after a crowd of friends had said goodbye to Stanley Boody at Park Hill Cemetery in Duluth.
"He didn't believe in guns; hedidn't like guns at all," Halonen said. He knew Boody for 15 years and had offered him a place to stay at his Superior home whenever he needed shelter.
Boody, 35, died early Sunday after being shot in the back on the night of June 14, according to Duluth police. Friends, including Belinda Stebner of Superior, waited at St. Mary's Medical Center for hours while Boody was in surgery. He died about4:30 a.m.
Police have released few details about the incident, Duluth's first homicide in 2008. Police have cited an ongoing investigation as the reason not to release information about who shot Boody during what they described as a drug deal gone wrong. Two other people were injured in the incident.
Friends recalled Boody as a generous man who would gladly give you his last $3, who would come over immediately if you needed help, and someone who always brought out the best in people.
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"If you made mistakes, that was OK," said Tara Remington of Superior. "He looked beyond that to see your full potential."
Remington and Boody had a child together, a 10-month-old daughter named Cassidy. Boody has four children, friends said.
Boody came from a troubled background and was estranged from his parents, Halonen said. Boody entered the foster care system at age 12, graduated from the Barnum schools with good grades, spent some time in prison and worked to keep on the right side of the law afterward.
"He learned from his mistakes," Halonen said. But in the last two years or so, Boody had begun drinking and using marijuana, something he worried about, Halonen said.
Yet he also was an avid softball player and runner and loved to rollerblade, friends said. A scrapbook filled with pictures and other mementos of Boody's life included entry bibs from the North Shore Inline Marathon, an entry form for Grandma's Marathon and pictures of Boody fishing and hanging out with friends.
Friends filled the chapel at Park Hill Cemetery on Friday afternoon to remember the things they had loved about Boody. One by one, people walked to the front of the chapel to share a story.
One woman spoke about a meaningful piece of art Boody had made for her to help ease a long hospital stay. Another woman recalled how Boody came over to help her finish painting a house, only an hour or so after they met for the first time, and wouldn't accept any money for the work he had done.
Bradley Alanko told of working at a Duluth business, with Boody as his supervisor. At one point, Boody was supposed to suspend Alanko for three days without pay for a series of work violations. Boody handed him the suspension papers, Alanko said, "then grabbed it out of my hand and handed me a positive feedback form."
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"On the outside, he seemed like a tough guy," Alanko said, but inside he was caring and sensitive.
Boody's friend and roommate, Justin Thatcher, a Park Hill Cemetery employee who helped to dig his grave Friday morning, encouraged friends to leave something in memory of Boody atop his casket. Friends left cigarettes, a softball, a DTA bus pass and poker cards among the bouquets of flowers.
After everyone had said goodbye, Thatcher counted to three, and the circle of friends shouted as one: "We love you, Stan!"
JANNA GOERDT covers the communities surrounding Duluth. She can be reached weekdays at (218) 279-5527 or by e-mail at jgoerdt@duluthnews.com .
